Adopted An Elderly Dog? 4 Options For Doggy Potty Breaks During Your Work Day
Adopting an elderly dog can be rewarding yet challenging at the same time. You don't know what types of behaviors the dog has or if it has any training, which makes it difficult to get back into a routine of leaving for work every day only to wonder what type of destruction you will return to when you get back home.
Another concern is that elderly dogs are not able to hold their urine for long enough until you fulfill your workday requirements. According to Rover, an online magazine for dog enthusiasts, elderly dogs typically can only hold their urine for two to six hours. Fortunately, there are a few options.
Swing Home for a Break
If you work close to home and get a long enough lunch break, swing home so you can check in on your dog and allow it to go outside for a potty break. In the dream world, this would work fantastically, but life isn't always a dream. With this option, you may run the risk of not making it back to work on time or not being able to leave work should something come up.
Install a Doggy Door
If you have a fenced-in backyard, install a doggy door so your dog can go out whenever it needs to have a potty break. Keep in mind that it may also go out whenever it wants to, sometimes for nefarious reasons such as digging for gophers or chewing up the flowers in your landscaping.
Train Your Dog to Use Pee Pads
Placing pee pads in or near areas where your dog sleeps may be helpful in at least having less of a mess to clean up after a day at work or when you have been out and about running errands.
Use Dog Boarding
Enroll your dog in a doggy daycare or dog boarding facility so it can be cared for and taken out for potty breaks while you are at work. This option is probably your best bet since you don't know the dog's history or how much training it has had. Before enrolling your dog in a boarding facility, especially if you plan on using it on a daily basis through your workweek, you will need to make sure it has up-to-date vaccinations according to what the boarding facility requires. Contact a dog boarding facility like Country Comfort Inn near you to learn more.